The story of how a scrawny schoolboy from Cardiff developed into football’s
first €100 million player is remarkable on so many different levels.

But perhaps none is more incredible than just how close Gareth Bale came to not even fulfilling his basic dream of becoming a professional player.

Unlike many of football’s most illustrious names, Bale was not marked out for greatness from early childhood but has instead joined Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the most elite bracket of world superstars from a teenage foundation that was shaped by injuries, setbacks and uncertainty.

Even as recently as January 2005, when Bale was almost 16, Southampton were within 90 minutes of releasing him.

Rod Ruddick, who managed the club’s satellite academy in Bath, discovered Bale at a Welsh Under-9s six-a-side tournament but can still vividly recall how his progress stalled. "Between the ages of 14 and 16 he had growth spurts which affected his mobility and strength - he had an horrendous three years," Ruddick said.

The first real make or break moment was when Southampton’s Under-18 team played Norwich City just 48 hours before final decisions were being taken on who should stay at the club.

A series of back injuries had caused Bale to miss much of the season and there were serious doubts over whether he should be awarded a contract.

Among the few dozen spectators at Norwich City’s training ground were Bale’s parents, Frank and Debbie, and Malcolm Elias, then head of recruitment at Southampton and the man charged with determining his future.

"I remember the day very clearly," Elias said. "His parents had driven all the way from Cardiff to Norwich in the knowledge that it was make or break for Gareth. He knew that it was make or break too.

"It was obvious that he was a good player but he kept missing games and there were question marks about his physicality. It sounds unbelievable now, but it was 'Is he going to be physically and mentally tough enough?'

"He’d had so many injury problems that evaluating him was very difficult because he never played enough games. The pressure was massive but his performance that day was flawless."

With Bale in rampaging form down the left and Theo Walcott scoring a hat-trick by half-time, Southampton demolished Norwich City 5-1.

"Thank goodness we got it right — it shows what a thin dividing line there can be in sport," Elias said.

There were never any doubts about Bale’s technical quality, particularly the sweetness of his left foot.

His teacher at Cardiff’s Whitchurch High School, Gwyn Morris, still tells the story of how Bale would be limited during PE lessons to one touch and only using his right foot. "It was the only way we could have an even game," said Morris.

Like David Beckham, Bale become renowned at Southampton and now Tottenham for his willingness to spend hours alone after training honing his free-kicks.

"The first time I saw Gareth play was when he was 13, in my first year here," said Georges Prost, the former technical director of Southampton’s academy. "He was playing as a left-winger then and had such a lovely left foot. Repetition is the best way to improve and I often saw Gareth taking free-kick after free-kick in his own time."

Staff both at Spurs and Saints describe Bale's personality in the same way. He is polite and quiet almost to the point of seeming shy but, beneath that placid exterior, is a rare resilience and determination to reach the very pinnacle of his sport.

He has frequently been underestimated. Harry Redknapp, for one, would question when he was Tottenham manager whether Bale really wanted to play outside of England. He had noted how regularly Bale returned back to Wales to see his family and friends and doubted if he would force through a transfer to Real Madrid.

Julia Upson was Bale’s landlady when he shared a room with Theo Walcott at Southampton’s academy accommodation and says there was always something in his character that convinced her he would be successful.

"It was always felt that Theo could achieve great things but Gareth’s progress was less certain early on," said Upson. "Gareth was very determined but he would beat himself up a bit sometimes. I think sharing a room helped both of them. They were a good influence on each other. You have got to have talent to start with, but you must be mentally strong too.

"Some players do let success go to their heads but, with Theo and Gareth, you always knew they had the right attitude and temperament."

Those who know Bale best are all convinced that he will now be unaffected either by becoming the most expensive player in football history or the imminent explosion of his global fame.

"His parents are the salt of the earth and brought him up well in giving him time and love," Bale's uncle, Chris Pike, said. "I'm sure he won’t change. He is not motivated by money, by fame, he just loves playing football."